Archive for the ‘Tried and True’ Category

Tomato pie is probably one of my husband’s all-time favorite recipes. The recipe came from his church’s cookbook and it was one of his favorite dishes his mom made. Though I grew up in the South, I had never heard of tomato pie until I met Brandon. I was definitely willing to give it a shot – the combination of garden fresh tomatoes, cheddar cheese and basil baked in a pie crust sounded right up my alley. I made this for the first time when we were in college and didn’t quite perfect it on my first shot. But lots of practice over the years and my own modifications have made me a tomato pie pro.

I only make this pie during the summer when we have access to local, homegrown tomatoes. The difference in taste between grocery store and garden tomatoes is huge and tomato pie is just not the same if you don’t have fresh tomatoes and basil.

Serve this pie with a salad of mixed baby greens and you’ve got yourself a delicious summer dinner.

Mix together cheeses, mayonnaise, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with one pie crust, trimming sides if necessary. Layer half of the sliced tomatoes in the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Spread (or dollop) half of the cheese mixture over tomatoes and basil.

Repeat another layer of tomato, basil and cheese. Place second crust over the top of the pie and prick with a fork.

Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Check on crust after 20-30 minutes and cover edges of crust with foil if they are getting too brown.

Homemade pizza is one of our favorite easy dinners and BBQ chicken pizza is one of our favorite ways to use leftover chicken. You use BBQ sauce for the base, shredded cooked chicken, caramelized onions and cheese. It’s a different taste than your traditional pizza but we think it’s delicous!

Working on a floured work surface, roll the pizza dough out into about a 12-inch round circle. Spread a layer of the BBQ sauce over the surface, leaving about 1/4-inch border around the edges. Evenly spread the onions and chicken over the sauce and top with cheese.

Place in oven (on a pizza stone or a baking sheet) and bake for about 18-22 minutes. Start checking it at about 15 minutes.

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Unfortunately, I will be traveling most of the day…in the rain so I won’t be able to enjoy a cookout. But if you’re lucky enough to be planning one, why not throw some drumsticks on the grill? Drumsticks are one of Brandon’s favorite things to grill and they’re great because you can use whatever seasoning you’re in the mood for – marinade, bbq sauce, spice rub, etc.

We decided to use seasoning rubs on our chicken (which is very common for us if you haven’t noticed). We had some Caribbean Curry Seasoning that we bought on our cruise a couple months ago from a great little spice store in Tortola, Sunny Caribbee. We used Jamaican Firewalk from The Dizzy Pig on the other half of the chicken.

Coat chicken in olive oil and generously apply spice rub. Spray grill grate with cooking spray and place chicken on grill. Cook for about 45-50 minutes, turning the chicken every 10-15 minutes. Check internal temperature of chicken, close to the bone. Drumsticks are done when they have reached 170 degrees.

I grew up on good old fashioned spaghetti sauce. One weekend when I was in college I went home and my dad served beef bolognese. It was incredible! I found myself craving it and asking for it when I came home to visit.

My dad emailed me the recipe a couple years ago and it’s now one of my favorite “comfort food” Italian dishes to make. While I still love basic spaghetti sauce and keep it in the freezer at all times, I’m glad to have this in the repertoire and make it a few times a year.

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook ground beef until browned. Drain and set aside.

Wipe out Dutch oven and heat the oil. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften and onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the beef back to the pot. Add the wine and the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. (Note, the longer it cooks, the better it gets. Leftovers are even better).

This twist on roasted potatoes makes a perfect side item with grilled meats. We served these alongside grilled ribeyes and roasted asparagus when we had friends over on Friday night. I originally saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks and tons of food bloggers have made it as well. I’ve made these potatoes a few times now and I’m officially on the “Crash Hot Potato” bandwagon. They’re so simple and I love that you can customize them to whatever tastes you’re feeling and what herbs you have on hand.

The Pioneer Woman roasts her potatoes at 450 degrees but since I was roasting asparagus too, I kept my oven at 400 and just cooked them a little longer. I added the asparagus in during the last 10 minutes the potatoes were cooking.

Preheat oven to 400 to 450 degrees (depending on how crispy you want your potatoes and if you have other things in the oven).

Place desired amount of potatoes in a large pot and cover with w

ater. Add a couple tablespoons of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until

potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork (time will depend on size of your potatoes).

Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by spreading a thin layer

of olive oil over the bottom of the pan. Note, I always line my baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. (Shiny side down.)

Remove potatoes from pot and drain. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need to cut some of them in half. Place potatoes on baking sheet, leaving space between. Using a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash down potatoes, rotate pan and mash again.

Brandon is in the middle of law school finals and I haven’t been seeing much of him lately. He’s been studying around the clock. He had a final from 6-9 last night and I wanted to have a simple dinner waiting for him when he got home. I’m not going to lie that the inspiration for this dish was a great bottle of Toscano Rosso that I tried while I was wandering around Whole Foods after work yesterday. I picked up a bottle and decided it would be a pasta night.

I had all the ingredients on hand for Pasta with Vodka Sauce and it was perfect with ciabatta served alongside. I love how easy this dish is to put together – the touch of red pepper and fresh basil definitely set it off. Try this out next time you are looking for a simple pasta dish.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce
(Recipe source mostly Bakin’ and Eggs with guidance from the Joy of Cooking)

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until it starts to get tender and translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add vodka and let cook for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add butter and red pepper flakes. Let butter melt into onion mixture. Pour in tomato sauce and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Follow directions on pasta packaging for cooking. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce.

Pour cream into tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add drained pasta and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish plates with Parmesan and basil.

Bacon…cheese…chicken…BBQ sauce…all wrapped up together and grilled. What’s not to love about that combination? Brandon got the idea for this chicken from the Egghead forum a few months ago when I put him in charge of figuring out what to do with chicken breasts for dinner. I was super impressed by how great he did creating this. If you’re a bacon lover, this is a MUST try on the grill during the upcoming warm months.

Pound out chicken breasts (in a plastic bag or between two sheets of wax paper) to about 1/4 inch thickness. Coat the top of chicken with grill rub. Turn over so rub side is down on work surface. Spread one teaspoon of barbeque sauce in a thin layer over each chicken breast. Layer cheese in the middle of the chicken. Roll chicken tightly. Wrap with bacon, using as many slices of bacon as you need and using toothpicks to hold bacon in place.

Grill for 20-25 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken breast has reached 165 degrees.